Evander's private manor was located in the suburbs. It was a newly purchased estate with large lawns, a tennis court, a library, and more.
Evander led Zara into a spacious and luxurious suite.
A serious-looking middle-aged woman walked over.
"Zara, this is Martha. She's the housekeeper of this manor. If you need anything, you can ask her," Evander said, then turned and left.
After Zara and Martha shook hands, Martha said with a forced smile, "Miss Zara, it's a pleasure to serve you!"
Zara smiled, looked up at the luxurious mansion, and couldn't help but say, "It's beautiful! Can I go for a walk?"
"Miss Zara, sometimes, curiosity isn't a good thing! Of course, for an ordinary girl, being lucky enough to step into such a luxurious manor is something you'd laugh about even in your dreams!" Martha raised her eyebrows and said sarcastically.
Zara thought to herself, even a dog's owner should be considered. If she didn't show Martha who was boss, Martha would look down on her even more in the future. So, she calmly smiled and said, "Martha, for a kind boss like Evander, what do you think he would do if he heard that his housekeeper was lacking in proper manners when dealing with people, especially in front of his girlfriend?" Her face darkened, and she glared at Martha. "I'm tired and need to rest. Please leave now!"
Martha was stunned, and her lips twitched unnaturally. She lowered her head and backed out of the room.
Zara looked at everything in front of her as if she were in a dream. Just a moment ago, she was an ordinary girl on the streets with nowhere to live, and now she was in a luxurious and extravagant manor of the upper class. She felt uneasy about how quickly her luck had changed. She was deeply confused about what would happen next.
A wave of sleepiness hit her. She yawned, walked to the bed, fell onto it, and slept soundly.
When she woke up, it was already noon. She patted her head. "Damn, I forgot about such an important day as my mom's discharge from the hospital. As a daughter, this is inexcusable!" She jumped out of bed and ran toward the hospital.
She ran to her mother's room and saw that her mother's bed was empty.
She was so frightened that she ran to the front desk to ask. A nurse told her that her mother had already been discharged, and a very elegant middle-aged woman had come to pick her up.
She wondered who it could be. She went through everyone she knew, one by one, but shook her head. Suddenly, her phone rang. She took it out and saw that it was her mother.
"Mom, where are you?"
"Zara, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you in time. I'm at my new place now..."
Zara was surprised and delighted. "Mom, I'm coming over now. You can tell me all about it then!" She hung up the phone and hurried over.
Zara pushed open the door, and her eyes lit up. The entire space was bright and spacious, with a high ceiling, leather sofas, mahogany tables and chairs, brand-name appliances... It was in a bustling area but far from the noise, and shopping for groceries, fitness, medical care, and so on were all very convenient.
Zara's mother came out of the kitchen.
Zara rushed over, hugged her mother, and said in surprise, "Mom, I've been looking for a satisfactory house for over half a month, but how did you get so lucky? This house must be very expensive, right?"
Zara's mother pulled away from her and said with a smile, "It's free! A kind person let me live here for free."
Zara scratched her head and joked, "Mom, I think I'm dizzy!"
"Do you remember the new caregiver who was looking after me?" Zara's mother asked.
Zara suddenly remembered the new caregiver and murmured, "I remember she said she could help us with 'finding a house'!"
"She's so nice. She enthusiastically asked me if I would be willing to live in a two-bedroom apartment for free. The condition was that I had to be responsible for the daily cleaning. The owner has too many properties and can't take care of them all. They don't want rent, they just want a fated person to take good care of the house!"
"Mom, did you actually meet the landlord?" Zara asked.
"Of course. You could tell right away they were very rich!" Zara's mother said.
"Mom, give me the landlord's contact information. There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Zara said.
"Oh, I'm getting old and forgetful. I didn't get their contact information." Zara's mother said.
What surprised Zara even more was that her mother's subsequent medical bills had been paid in full. When Zara asked the hospital administrator, the administrator said that they were only concerned with the patient's health and had no time to worry about who had paid the bill.
Zara suspected that Evander was secretly helping her mother, so she went to him.
"Evander, thank you. You kept your word and paid me the 'contract girlfriend' salary on time. There was no need for you to pay my mother's medical bills as well!"
"What medical bills?" Evander's mouth dropped open, and he looked at her with a confused expression.
"It wasn't you?" Zara's mouth fell open as she looked at him, then she murmured, "If it wasn't you, then who could it be?"
Evander glanced at her and said thoughtfully, "It wasn't me... But who is the person secretly helping your mother? Who was the arsonist? Is there a connection between the two? Are they the same person?"
Zara looked at him with expectation in her eyes. "How could I not have thought of that? Could it be that the person who started the fire felt guilty and helped my mom find a house?"
Evander saw the expectation in her eyes and smiled. "I want to know the answer more than you do, but until the truth is revealed, the only thing we can do is wait and see what happens!"
Zara lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.
Evander smiled. "Alright, let's change the subject to something more relaxed."
Zara raised her eyelids slightly.
"Next weekend is my grandmother's birthday. You haven't officially visited her since you moved in."
Zara remembered the kind-faced old lady from the last family dinner, and a warmth welled up in her heart. She quickly said, "I should go visit her! But what kind of gift should I prepare?"
"That shouldn't be a problem!" Evander smiled at her and turned to leave.
Zara walked into the room, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Suddenly, she heard a whispering sound in the hallway outside her room. She got out of bed curiously and pressed her ear to the wall to listen.
"It's Margaret's birthday next weekend. I heard there are more people coming to celebrate this time than in previous years?"
"Margaret is highly respected, so naturally, many people come every year! I wonder what kind of gift she'll receive this year?"
"Margaret's gifts are always valuable, of course. Diamonds, colored gems, rare treasures, everything you can imagine! I'm so envious!"
"However, I heard that out of all the gifts Margaret has received, her favorite is a Persian tapestry with a landscape... what was it again?"
"Mountain forest!"
"Right, mountain forest!"
"Come on, as servants, we should worry about our own work!"
Zara was overjoyed!
On the day of the grandmother's birthday party, Zara and Evander arrived early at the old lady's manor.
Ferlock took Zara's hand and, changing her usual stern expression, said with great warmth, "Zara, please forgive a mother's heart. Let me just say, I'm not a wicked stepmother from a fairy tale. I love Evander more than my own life!"
"Ferlock, you are a great mother!" Zara said with a smile.
"My thinking is not as open-minded as Margaret's!" Ferlock said, then led Zara to the grandmother.
The grandmother held Zara's hand and smiled. "What a beautiful girl. I liked you the moment I saw you. Evander hasn't been bullying you, has he?"
Evander walked over, put his arm around Zara's waist, smiled at her, and said playfully, "Grandma, how could I bully my beloved girlfriend?"
Zara quickly played along, saying, "Grandma, don't worry, Evander is very good to me!"
Margaret patted the back of Zara's hand and laughed heartily. "That's good! That's good! If Evander dares to bully you, you tell Grandma, and I'll take care of him for you!"
Zara smiled gratefully at Margaret. She felt a sense of guilt for deceiving her. How disappointed would Margaret, such a kind and amiable old woman, be if she found out the truth—that Zara was only his contract girlfriend?
Evander let go of Zara's waist, hugged Margaret from behind, and rested his head on her shoulder. He said playfully, "Grandma, I'll tell you a secret!"
The grandmother reached out and gently patted the back of his hand, saying with infinite indulgence, "Oh, my grandson is keeping a secret from me. This is a big surprise!"
"Grandma, Zara and I are living together! She's moved into my new manor!"
He glanced at Zara with a smile.
Zara glared at him, thinking it was a shame he wasn't an actor! The guilt she had felt for deceiving Margaret was greatly reduced. From the looks of it, making Margaret happy seemed to be the right thing to do.
Margaret laughed heartily. "Grandma blesses you both!"
Ferlock also smiled. "Zara, Evander, I bless you both! I was too stubborn before and didn't realize that love is the source of all power! Only people who truly love each other can face all the future hardships and obstacles together!"
Zara looked at Ferlock in shock. It hadn't been long since she'd seen her at the last dinner party. The woman who had seemed cold and heartless was now so reasonable and approachable! She felt a warm current flow through her heart, thinking she had misunderstood her before.
Lise, who was standing not far away, gave a look of disdain.